1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for laminating a functionally gradient material having a composition which is superior in the composition gradient continuity in the thicknesswise direction thereof and in the composition uniformity in the planewise direction thereof, and a laminating apparatus for carrying out the process.
The present invention also relates to a process for laminating a functionally gradient material having a composition gradient superior in the composition uniformity in the planewise direction thereof while maintaining the composition gradient in the thicknesswise direction thereof, and a laminating apparatus for carrying out the process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several production processes, for instance a vacuum laminating technology such a CVD method and a PVD method, and a powder spraying technology in which powders are sprayed and laminated one after another, have been proposed so far for producing functionally gradient materials having composition gradients, in which the compositions, i.e., the mixing rates of a plurality of suspension particle components, vary continuously in the thicknesswise direction thereof.
In the powder spraying technology, the raw material powders are sprayed or atomized by a nozzle moving relatively in the X-direction and the Y-direction over a plane to be laminated while varying the mixing rates.
In the production processes for producing functionally gradient materials employing the vacuum laminating technology, it is appropriate for laminating a film in the order of thickness in micrometers. However, it is not practical to laminate a film having a thickness greater than micrometers because it takes much time to laminate such a film by the vacuum laminating technology.
On the contrary, the production processes for producing functionally gradient materials employing the powder spraying technology offer faster laminating rates than that of the vacuum laminating technology. However, it has the following disadvantages:
First, the surroundings are polluted by the raw material powders because the raw material powders are sprayed or atomized, and the working environment is deteriorated.
Second, the operation efficiency is poor and the compositions fluctuate in the planewise direction because the spraying nozzle moves relatively in the X-direction and the Y-direction over the plane to be laminated.